Dos Pueblos, Bishop Diego and Carpinteria are set to kick off their seasons in Week 1 of the high school football schedule.
Dos Pueblos gets a jump on the action as it plays Thursday night at Nordhoff in Ojai. The game was moved from Friday because of a shortage of football officials in the Channel Coast Officials Association.
Bishop Diego was supposed to play a Week Zero game last Friday at Righetti, but it was canceled because of a COVID-19 issue at Righetti. The Cardinals instead open against Oxnard on Friday night in the first game played on the new turf at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium.
Righetti gets back on the field against the speed-burners from Lompoc, which raced past Paso Robles, 48-27.
Carpinteria traditionally starts its season in Week 1. Coach Mario Robinson takes his young Warriors to Morro Bay, which lost at San Marcos last week, 25-14.
San Marcos rides the momentum of its season-opening win under first-year coach Ralph Molina into Santa Maria, which also won its opener.
After being shut out against a tough Saugus team, Santa Barbara looks to bounce back against an improved Thousand Oaks program.
In other action, Santa Ynez, coming off a loss at Nipomo, hosts Fillmore in its Pirate Field debut, and Cabrillo plays its first game at Huyck Field against Nipomo on Friday night.
Remember, schools are using the mobile app ticketing system, GoFan, to purchase game tickets.
Here’s a look at this week’s games:
Thursday
Dos Pueblos (0-0) at Nordhoff (1-0), 7 p.m. — The Chargers begin the AJ Pateras era against a Nordhoff squad that boasts two powerful running backs, Zac Sheets and Eli Dvortcsak. DP will rely on juniors Tyler Perez and Naythan Bojorquez and seniors Nico Rodriguez and Merrick Foster to contain the Nordhoff rushing game. On offense, senior Jordan Rico will run the attack. He’ll have a committee of running backs that includes Eric Roldan, Bojorquez, Cameron Lee and Alex Sanchez. The Chargers have the size to play with the Rangers. It’s matter of overcoming the first-game jitters. The Pick: Dos Pueblos.
Friday
Oxnard (1-0) vs. Bishop Diego (0-0) at SBCC, 7 p.m. — A challenging opener for the Cardinals. Oxnard has a big offensive line and a talented sophomore quarterback in Devin Tate. He threw for 213 yards and four TDs in a 56-0 rout of Quartz Hills. Bishop has a big, experienced line, a solid pair of running backs in senior Marcus Chan and junior Qu’Ran Gossett and an athletic senior quarterback in Michael Luckhurst. The Cardinals also have veterans on defense. Bishop’s experience makes the difference. The Pick: Bishop Diego.
Santa Barbara (0-1) at Thousand Oaks (1-0), 7 p.m. — The Dons look to overcome their first-game mistakes against a fired-up Thousand Oaks team that beat rival Westlake (10-7) on a field goal with four seconds left in the game. The Lancers turned in a strong defensive effort, which could mean trouble for a Santa Barbara offense that struggled against Saugus. The Pick: Thousand Oaks.
San Marcos at Santa Maria, 7 p.m.— The Royals showed in their opener that they have some weapons on offense. They’ll need them to be firing against a Santa Maria team that posted a shutout in its Week Zero game. The Pick: Santa Maria
Carpinteria (0-0) at Morro Bay (0-1), 7 p.m. — The Warriors break in a new quarterback and several varsity newcomers on the road against a team that has a game under its belt. The Pick: Morro Bay.
Fillmore (1-0) at Santa Ynez (0-1), 7 p.m. — The Pirates went down to the wire with a solid Nipomo team in a 21-16 season-opening loss on the road. They face a Fillmore team that rolled 56-0 over El Monte. Junior running back Anthony Chessani, who scored three touchdowns, runs behind a good offensive line. Santa Ynez looks to get its running game going in this game to help out junior quarterback Luke Gildred. The Pirates will regroup at home. The Pick: Santa Ynez.
Lompoc (1-0) at Righetti (0-0), 7 p.m. — With Deville “Djoker” Dickerson, Sheldon Canley Jr. and newcomer Michael Gaitan making plays, Lompoc’s offense is like one those missiles blasting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The speed of the Braves is hard to match. The Pick: Lompoc.
Nipomo (1-0) at Cabrillo (0-1), 7 p.m. — The Conquistadores face another rugged opponent in Nipomo. The Pick: Nipomo.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.